MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Complication rates for women with endometrial cancer were roughly the same after standard laparoscopy and robot-assisted surgery, although the robotic procedures each cost about $1,300 more, according to a study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Electronic Medical Records (EMR)
Large EMRs: The back story
Sanovas expands in Calif. in prep for commercial launch | MassDevice.com On Call
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Sanovas is expanding its corporate headquarters and opening a manufacturing facility in Sausalito, Calif. as it prepares to file for FDA clearance for its drug-delivery technology.
The company’s micro-surgical technologies feature what Sanovas calls the world’s smallest surgical camera to access hard-to-reach areas of the body and provide minimally invasive diagnosis, treatment and drug delivery, according to a press release.
Duly notified
Warning: You are entering the chart of a deceased person
What?
What happened? They called me about him. Said he was sick. He stared again at the message.
Warning: You are entering the chart of a deceased person
Health IT spending will grow $2B in the next 4 years | MassDevice.com On Call
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — The federal government’s health care IT spending is set to increase from $4.5 billion in 2011 to $6.5 billion by 2016, according to a research study by Deltek.
Amid budget cuts across the rest of the federal spectrum, the health IT market will grow largely due to rising health care costs, an aging population and high unemployment rates.
Da Vinci surgical robots may help repair NASA satellites | MassDevice.com On Call
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Intuitive Surgical Inc.’s (NSDQ:ISRG) da Vinci robot may have applications that take it beyond our planet.
NASA scientists and researchers at Johns Hopkins University are looking at the medical machine to see if it may could one day help repair or refuel satellites in orbit.
Sending robots to space is far less costly and dangerous than sending a human to repair the satellites, and human operators would still be in control of the remotely operated da Vinci system.
SHRINE: Clinical and population research by the numbers
By Tom Ulrich
Meaningful abuse
As health care reform rumbles along, it has become increasingly clear that electronic health records (EHRs) are here to stay. I dare say, most of us are relatively happy that the change has come: notes are legible, information moves quickly, communication channels between doctor and patient are improved, and work flows streamlined.
Well, not always.
Take the example of the work flow required to process a simple office-based EKG:
The promise of electronic health care records
Last week, Don Berwick completed his 17 month tenure as administrator of Medicare and Medicaid. The nation should be grateful that such a visionary was at the helm. The nation should frustrated that he was never confirmed.
Former Philips manager charged with taking bribes | MassDevice.com On Call
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Federal prosecutors charged former Ohio Philips Healthcare (NYSE:PHG) facilities manager Pay Boyce, 63, of accepting bribes from a local construction company.
The charges span 18 years of alleged bribes, including construction work on Boyce’s house and the houses of other Philips employees, tickets to athletic events, trips to Las Vegas and thousands in gift cards from construction company DAS Development Inc.
An update on Massachusetts Health Information Exchange
As I’ve described previously, Meaningful Use Stage 1 was focused on the electronic capture of data into EHRs. The standards we specified included content and vocabulary but not transport.
Stage 2 will be more focused on Health Information Exchange. Transport standards will likely be included in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.